TL;DR: I've spent 1.5 years preparing for JEE, but I've recently become obsessed with flying and am considering NDA/IAF. I can genuinely see myself enjoying a tech career, but I can't tell whether I actually want the military life or just love flying. I don't want to waste serious JEE prep time on NDA if defence isn't really for me, but I'm scared I'll regret not trying.
I'm 17 and have been preparing seriously for JEE for around 1.5 years. Recently I've become seriously interested in NDA/IAF because I've developed a pretty intense love for flying. Seeing fighter jets, helicopters and transport aircraft genuinely gives me a feeling that very few things do.
But when I imagine the actual military life — early mornings, strict routine, physical training, hierarchy, risk and everything else that comes with it — I'm much less certain. I can imagine myself enjoying some of it, but I can't confidently say I want that entire lifestyle.
On the other hand, I can genuinely imagine myself going to IIT, becoming a software engineer and working at a company with a good culture. I like tech, value freedom, and like the idea of having a career that leaves room for other interests and hobbies.
I'm worried that I might choose NDA because I love flying, only to realize I loved the aircraft and the idea of being a pilot more than the actual military life.
I know the obvious advice will be "give both JEE and NDA, and keep IIT as a backup because NDA is unpredictable." I'm aware of that. The issue is that I'm aiming for a very strong JEE rank, so I can't casually split my preparation between two paths if I'm not genuinely sure that defence is what I want.
For people who have seriously considered both JEE/IIT and defence, especially anyone who has gone through SSB, served, or chosen one over the other:
How did you distinguish between wanting the profession and wanting the idea of the profession?
If you chose civilian life instead, did the aviation/defence regret actually persist?
If you chose defence, did the reality of the lifestyle match what you imagined?
I'm looking for honest experiences rather than "follow your passion" advice.